Content Disclosure
This course will focus exclusively on the implementation of the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program and will not include information on similar or related therapy programs.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List four motor speech characteristics associated with Parkinson’s.
2. Describe the difference between the pyramidal and extrapyramidal neural tracts and how dopamine production impacts each motor system.
3. Describe what it means to “Speak with INTENT.”
4. List the seven components of the “Circle of INTENT.”
5. Describe and perform the six SPEAK OUT! Therapy exercises.
6. Describe and conduct a SPEAK OUT! Therapy session.
7. List three resources Parkinson Voice Project provides to every Licensed SPEAK OUT! Provider.
8. Describe three ways to educate patients, families, and physicians about the SPEAKOUT! Therapy Program.
Presenters
Alison Behrman, PhD, CCC-SLP
Relevant Financial Relationship: None.
Relevant Nonfinancial Relationship: None.
Alison Behrman is a retired faculty member in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at Lehman College/City University of New York. She received her MA in speech-language pathology from New York University and her PhD in speech physiology from Columbia University. Behrman research has been published in national and international peer-reviewed journals of speech pathology, speech science, linguistcs, and otolaryngology. Behrman was the principal investigator for The Effect of SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd on Dysarthria Due to Parkinson’s Disease, published by the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology in 2020, and Dysarthria Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease: One-Year Follow-Up of SPEAK OUT! with the LOUD Crowd, published in Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology in 2021.
Samantha Elandary, MA, CCC-SLP
Relevant Financial Relationship: Receives a salary as an employee of Parkinson Voice Project
Relevant Nonfinancial Relationship: Volunteer member of Parkinson Voice Project’s Board of Directors
Samantha Elandary is the Founder and CEO of Parkinson Voice Project. She has devoted her life to making quality speech therapy accessible to individuals with Parkinson’s disease and related neurological conditions. Under her leadership, Parkinson Voice Project developed the SPEAK OUT!® Therapy Program, an effective, comprehensive speech therapy program for treating the motor speech deficits in Parkinson’s. Elandary believes clinicians need the clinical skills and compassion to provide quality treatment while adhering to business practices that promote cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Since 2008, Parkinson Voice Project has successfully provided all therapy services through donations and the “Pay it Forward” concept. With this unique funding model, no patient has ever been denied treatment due to insurance or financial limitations.
Gwen Nolan, MS, CCC-SLP
Relevant Financial Relationship: Receives a salary as an employee of Parkinson Voice Project.
Relevant Nonfinancial Relationship: None.
Gwen Nolan is the Grant Development Officer and a Speech-Language Pathologist at Parkinson Voice Project. Gwen joined Parkinson Voice Project in June of 2020. She has over 19 years of experience evaluating and treating adult neurogenic communication and swallowing disorders. During her tenure as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Missouri, she developed deep admiration for the resilience and spirit of her patients with Parkinson’s and discovered a passion for helping them recover and maintain their speech and voice. Gwen oversees a robust grant program that aims to train speech-language pathologists and graduate students worldwide to conduct SPEAK OUT! Therapy at their clinics and universities. She also serves as a clinical resource and mentor for SPEAK OUT! Providers and presents educational offerings.
Richard I. Zraick, PhD, CCC-SLP, F-ASHA, CHSE
Relevant Financial Relationship: Received an honorarium as a Presenter.
Relevant Nonfinancial Relationship: Serves as a volunteer member of Parkinson Voice Project’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Richard Zraick is a Professor and formerly the Founding Director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Florida. He is a Fellow of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. He is also a Certified Health Simulation Educator. Zraick completed his Psychology B.A. (’84) and Speech and Hearing Science M.A. (’87) at the University of Arizona, followed by a Ph.D. from Arizona State University (’98). Before his tenure at UCF, he spent 17 years at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, teaching and researching medical speech-language pathology and healthcare simulation. He is the co-author of over 60 peer-reviewed research articles, 100 conference presentations, and the leading textbook on voice disorders, “The Voice and Voice Therapy.” His research spans voice disorder treatments, healthcare simulation, and health communication. A dedicated clinician, Zraick’s extensive clinical experience enriches his teaching, blending academic insight with practical expertise.